I appreciate a lighting tech that goes out of his way to send the house guys up to the spot perches to fire and fine tune the local spotlights at every venue. It’s a thankless task that easily takes an hour of your day. Most lighting crew chiefs hate this and cannot be bothered with the task. I’ve actually had a touring tech tell me that if I wanted good spots everyday, I should’ve rented them and another tech from his lighting company. The majority of shows I do are at the mercy of the local house or rental companies’ inventory. And if I wait until show time to find out that half of the lights are dim and useless, I’m in trouble. That’s why I can’t always depend on the crew chief sent to me by a lighting vendor. It’s why LDs often request that rental companies use their personal electricians on certain gigs. Because we need guys who care about all the lights on the show.
—From “LD at Large” by Nook Schoenfeld, PLSN, May, 2013
